Posted by
Scatbug on Thursday, August 21, 2008 1:44:46 PM
The other day
I wrote of plans to dash off with my wife to Campi ya Kenzi, the prize-winning and environmentally perfect vacation destination in Kenya. For a mere nine flight legs there and back, we could spend a week in eco-bliss amongst the native peoples learning to shed our Western inhibitions toward communing with lions, elephants, hyenas, cheetahs, tsetse flies, etc. in their natural environs (zoos be damned!). Plus, Campi ya Kenzi is solar powered, and the organic garden fertilized with recycled camp garbage and...um...waste water solids.
But alas, the trip is now on hold until I fully get my mind around
this story appearing today:
LONDON (Reuters) - Air travelers may be fooling themselves with a feel-good green glow from offsetting their carbon emissions, according to critics of the system.
A lack of rigor in the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions from air travel is undermining carbon offsetting as an approach to fight climate change, one expert said.
Supporters say carbon offsetting allows travelers to fight climate change without altering their behavior, by paying others to cut emissions of greenhouse gases on their behalf.
Travel company Expedia Inc on Thursday added its voice to those urging offsetting as a tool to fight climate change, allowing its customers to continue flying to exotic holiday destinations with an easier conscience.
But airlines calculate the carbon emissions from their flights differently, underlining uncertainty about the credibility of offset calculators.
Consider my conscience uneasy. Maybe we should just rent a Prius and head out to the Grand Canyon instead.